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justbennett
The Shire
Oct 12 2012, 10:18pm
Views: 98
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I do like the way the story was placed. On first reading I was going insane wondering where Smaug was and why he never showed up to vaporize Bilbo and the dwarvsies. So, as was mentioned, I was antsy for some good ole dragon evilness.
I had never thought about the juxtaposition of heroes. Bard is a wake up call that there are capable people in the world that don't just survive by magic or by luck. At one point after reading LOTR I wondered if Bard was actually an alias of Aragorn. Ultimately, I think Tolkien just reused and expanded the character. (Call me crazy, but I see a lot of similarities in Beorn and Treebeard as well.)
One thing about the descriptions of Smaug- I don't know quite how to explain it, but there is a feeling like the story teller expects the listener to have a working knowledge of dragons. Nowhere does he say, "Now a dragon is a giant, flying, firebreathing monster that is a little bit like a lizard." Of course, most readers have an archetypal dragon in mind. Tolkein's description don't really try to mess with that. It encourages the reader to just think of the baddest dragon possible, cover it in jewels, and there you are. It really made me feel a lot more included in the story, part of the inside crowd, so to speak.
I didn't really like that Bard didn't hear about the weak spot until he had his last arrow. I'd prefer that there had been many attempts made at the spot before it all came down to the. last. lucky. arrow.
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Time
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***Fire and Water*** I: Smaug Attacks
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Modtheow
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Oct 9 2012, 8:14pm
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Smaug happens
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CuriousG
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Oct 10 2012, 10:52pm
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Fall of Gondolin
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Modtheow
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Oct 11 2012, 4:45pm
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My Thoughts
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justbennett
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Oct 12 2012, 10:18pm
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The last lucky arrow
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Modtheow
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Oct 14 2012, 4:34pm
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The sequence is excellent.
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dernwyn
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Oct 13 2012, 12:23am
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Bilbo as dragon-slayer
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Modtheow
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Oct 14 2012, 4:46pm
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quite a scene
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Escapist
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Oct 13 2012, 12:52am
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Bilbo as author
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Modtheow
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Oct 14 2012, 4:57pm
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I think of Bilbo and Frodo as the writers of an original manuscript
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Escapist
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Oct 14 2012, 5:05pm
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Late answers
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sador
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Oct 14 2012, 3:11pm
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and a late question
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Modtheow
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Oct 14 2012, 5:14pm
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All of those you've said
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sador
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Oct 15 2012, 9:39pm
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